Latest news: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is getting a full remake titled Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Due to launch July 9, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, the title will be a complete reimagining of Edward Kenway's high seas adventure. It's a favorite among long time series fans, and we're looking forward to jumping in. You can read up on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced using the links below.
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced creative director says his top three favorite elements of the remake are the fight system, the new missions, and the new end game chapters
- Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is getting a proper PS5 Pro upgrade — and every graphics mode benefits
The best Assassin’s Creed games to play in 2026 are the ones that have stood the test of time, or the more modern entries that have helped breathe new life into the long-running franchise. The series is rapidly approaching its 20th anniversary, if you can believe it, and there's no shortage of Assassin's Creed games to check out if you're diving in for the first time.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is about to set sail on July 9, 2026, and will be the series' first from-the-ground-up remake featuring revamped visuals and all-new story content. The game it's based on is often considered the very best Assassin's Creed game the series has to offer, and is likely to be an excellent starting point for newcomers when it arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
But that's not to say the series is hurting for excellent games elsewhere. Classics like Assassin's Creed 2 are still well worth revisiting today, and modern hits like Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Shadows are fantastic if you're looking for some RPG flavor. Read on, then, to learn more about the best Assassin's Creed game, as well as where you can buy them if you're interested.
The best Assassin's Creed games
While it's often considered one of the weaker entries in the series, we do love Assassin's Creed Rogue because, in Shay, it gives us one of the most interesting protagonists of the series, as well as one of the most interesting perspectives. It's not ideal for newcomers given the shift away from the Assassins plotline, but it's a good cheap buy if you're hungry for more Creed.
The art styles used across the three adventures in Assassin's Creed Chronicles give each one superb character and identity. Each is slightly different from the last, they are painterly, have their own distinct aesthetic and are perfect matches for the setting of each tale, making brilliant background and styles for the games.
"Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is a neat experience that offers a decent virtual reality take on Assassin’s Creed that’s sure to excite long-time fans. Series staples like parkour, open environments, and stealth are all well represented, but the fiddly combat can frustrate." - Dashiell Wood, TechRadar Gaming reviewer.
Assassin's Creed Unity, for all its flaws and rather notorious bugs, still has one of the best settings and city locations in the series. Revolutionary Paris is breathtaking in its detail, lighting, density - and for its ability to offer some of the finest parkour in the series too.
One of Assassin's Creed Revelations' best elements is how well it rounds off Ezio's main storyline. There's an exciting adventure, companionship, a new location, and friends, throwbacks to previous heroes, and we get to enjoy how Ezio processes it all as a middle-aged man.
Assassin's Creed 3's setting and its use of the American Revolution as a backdrop is great, while some of its characters also set it apart. The game also begins a series of interesting connections between several games, and in Haytham it has a brilliant double-edged character, who comes complete with a genuinely clever early-game twist.
Playing as two assassins in Jacob and Evie in Syndicate was a breath of fresh air at the time, and still represents a great feature of Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Being able to swap between the two makes for different encounters, varied combat, and keeps things interesting throughout the story too.
As well as having the unique selling point of starting the whole series and introducing all the major points to us, the first Assassin's Creed game has a brilliant setting in the 12th century Holy Land, and also shows the roots of our favorite stealthy action to boot. It plays a bit dated by modern standards, but it's worth a look if you're keen to check out where it all began.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla's brilliant open world setting of 9th-century Britain is a joy to behold, explore, and soak in. There are beautiful landscapes in every direction, and you can also find some excellent settlements, landmarks, and mini-stories in every corner of it. Love vikings? Start here.
Assassin's Creed Origins gives us the, well, origin story of the Creed itself, and we love it for that reason. Ubisoft's first foray into the RPG-ifying of the series worked well too, but seeing the beginnings of the Creed through Bayek's experience is one of the best things about Origins. The setting of Ancient Egypt is a real treat here, too.
Snooping about and finding each clue in a restricted area, tracing each lead, and cracking each case to work toward the climax of each investigation is gripping. Making you feel like part-assassin, part-spy, is one of Assassin's Creed Mirage's greatest successes. It's a bit of a 'returning to its roots' game for the series, which is nice if you're put off by other modern entries' reliance on RPG elements.
Another fan favorite and arguably the best of the RPG-style entries, Assassin's Creed Odyssey puts you in the sandals of either Alexios or Kassandra in Ancient Greece, around the time the Spartans and Persians were locked in bitter conflict. The map is massive, spanning a huge swathe of the Greek islands, but it doesn't lack for detail as a result. One of the most beautiful and engaging Assassin's Creed games for sure. The DLC expansions are a bit rubbish, though.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a direct sequel to Assassin's Creed 2, and arguably just as excellent. Gameplay feels slightly refined, and the story engages with protagonist Ezio's campaign against the corrupt Borgia family. While it's sadly no longer active, the game also featured a pretty excellent multiplayer mode for its time.
After years of fan requests, the series finally landed in Warring States era Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows. The dual protagonist system is arguably at its best with shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke, the latter of which was a trusted retainer of Nobunaga Oda. It's one of the best Assassin's Creed games in years, with a gorgeous setting, slick combat and stealth, and even a massive free expansion for when you're done with the base game.
It'd be tempting to leave it here as 'being a pirate' for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, but what we really love about the game is the bombastic, thunderous naval combat. There's a skill to it, but knocking out powerful ships and robust forts is incredibly satisfying once you've got it.
It's Ezio, isn't it. Yes, Assassin's Creed 2's best feature, among many to be fair, is the introduction of the series' most-loved and best protagonist. Ezio is likeable, charming, witty, emotional, and feels like an extension of yourself once you get to the end of the adventure. This is where the series really hit the ground running.
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How we made our best Assassin's Creed games list
Assassin's Creed is one of the TechRadar Gaming team's favorite video game series ever. As a result, we have a genuine passion for the games, the characters, the lore, and everything in between. This means that you can trust our verdicts on all the games in the series, as we are fans ourselves, but also know what makes a great AC game stand out over a good one, and that's what tap into when we made this list, and when we revisit it.
For some of our editorial team, the interest and fondness really is intense: TRG's Managing Editor, Rob, played all the games from Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered to Odyssey, including all DLCs and standalone spin-offs, back to back in 2019, and has formed a near-year-long sequence of memories and analysis of all those games in his mind forever more.
He's reviewed and previewed a host of the series since, visited the Ubisoft Quebec studio to play Assassin's Creed Shadows, got the platinum trophy for loads of those games, got a huge number of the art and lore books (even the obscure ones), been to the Symphony concert, and got most of the novel series. He's really into it, you know.
What this level of interest and passion points to is the fact that our knowledge of the Assassin's Creed game is such that you can trust what we say in our best Assassin's Creed list. We've played all of them for hundreds of hours, across all platforms, and over the span of many years - not just when they were released - and have the right expertise to be able to recommend them to you.
Best Assassin's Creed games - FAQs
Which Assassin's Creed is best?
We, like many, to be fair, think the best Assassin's Creed game is Assassin's Creed 2. It has the best story, arguably the best characters, probably the best Assassin protagonist, wonderful city settings and playground, and features a rich historical background to get your teeth into. It really is one of the best games of the last 20 years, and there's no surprise that it sits atop many of the internet's AC game lists.
Which assassin is the best in the Assassin's Creed games?
Now this is question that has raged, and continues to do so whenever the best Assassin's Creed games are brought up in conversation. With there being several 'iconic' protagonists throughout the series there's some healthy subjectivity around it too with lots of fans having their favourites.
On the whole though, Ezio Auditore di Firenze is widely considered the best - and certainly most popular. He is charming, likeable, suave, goes on a complete journey through the games, and is, well, so damn cool. However, there are plenty of others that folks speak highly of. Kassandra from Odyssey is one of those in particular, while leftfield favourites include Shay from Rogue, Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad (the protagonist from the first game), and also Bayek from Origins all have their fans.
Which Assassin's Creed has the best story?
This is a tough question as all the Assassin's Creed games have memorable stories with their own twists, settings, journeys, and multifaceted adventures that make them unique and stand out.
For example, the story of the whole series wouldn't exist without the intrigue and setup of the very first game; the stories of ACIII and Rogue where you get a Templar perspective shake things up enjoyable; and the sprawling story of Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a gripping saga.
However, personally, having spent so much time with the series, the standouts are Assassin's Creed II, Origins, and Odyssey. Though I constantly change my mind!
Which Assassin's Creed game has the best open world?
Many of the best Assassin's Creed games have open worlds varying in scale that you're free to explore and wander about at your own leisure. This element of the series really exploded when the RPG-style games came along with Origins too, with subsequent games offering huge worlds.
However, not all were created equal, and not all are as enjoyable, or as action-packed. Overall though, if you're looking for the best Assassin's Creed open-world in terms of the big factors - beauty, filled with stuff to do, engaging side quests, and hidden secrets to find then we'd have to recommend Assassin's Creed Shadows, with Odyssey a really close second.
Which Assassin's Creed game is the most fun?
This is a great question and one that will largely revolve around your playstyle and game type preferences. Across the series, there are now sprawling open-world RPGs, tightly-focused linear stealth adventures, and even 2.5D platform-heavy games. As a result, your mileage will differ based on what you prefer. We recommend trying out Assassin's Creed Odyssey, due to its sheer scale and variety of things to do, however.
However, if you're a 'general' AC fan, then one answer we can probably stand by is that the first game, when trying to be played in 2026, is not going to be as fun as the others in the series. It hasn't aged well, is the jankiest of the lot, and is very much in need of the remake treatment, if you ask us.
What's the best Assassin's Creed game on PS5?
Now into its sixth year, the PS5 has had a few Assassin's Creed game releases. Sometimes shared with the PS4, but sometimes now, it's a great place to play the series, and one game in particular is head-and-shoulders above the rest to play on PS5: Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Built for modern hardware (and not for older consoles like the PlayStation 4), Shadows absolutely makes the most of the power and grunt available, and produces a truly spectacular game, setting, and experience. It looks absolutely breathtaking, plays wonderfully, and is easily the best open-world Assassin's Creed game going - and definitely the best Assassin's Creed game to play on PS5.
